Colder Than Expected
by HecateA
Summary: Sirius, James, and Peter had perfectly plotted out their first Full Moon as Animagi with Remus. They just hadn't expected it to be so bloody cold. Oneshot.


**Author's Note: **Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Warnings:** NA

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**Colder Than Expected **

"Merlin's sagging left buttock" Sirius swore, bunching the sleeves of his sweater in his fists. "It is _freezing _in here."

"It's the Shrieking Shack, not the Shrieking Mansion," James said. He was equally cold as Sirius, and he pulled his legs to his chest, following Peter's excellent idea to try and evade the plunging temperature.

"We're not leaving him to wake up alone," Peter said.

They'd decided on this particular detail ages ago; that way Remus wouldn't wake up on the day after the Full Moon alone, convinced that he'd eaten or otherwise pulled apart his friends overnight. Peter, Sirius, and James had been sure that their Animagus plan would work—absolutely positive. But Remus hadn't been so sure. Sirius had helpfully pointed out that Remus might murder the lot of them for trying said plan with a few well-placed curses, terrifying monstrous alternative form and all its teeth and claws be damned. But they'd been sure, and they'd just finished spending the night with a werewolf. No, with their friend.

"That's not what we're saying, Wormtail," Sirius said. "It's just bloody cold."

"So I've noticed," Peter said.

"Calm down you grumpy lot," James said. He looked away from Peter and Sirius and turned back to face Remus, curled up on the floor of the Shrieking Shack. They'd managed to wriggle back into his sweater, which he'd neatly folded and hidden under a floorboard the night before. They'd also covered him up with as many blankets as they could find in the Shrieking Shack. Most were shredded and torn, but they'd figured it was better than nothing. Still, he couldn't help but point it out to the others."Remus must be freezing…"

"We'll have to bring more blankets into the shack next month," Sirius said. "We'll drape them on your antlers and you can carry them in, Prongs."

"You'll look so dashing," Peter said. "On Dasher, on Prancer, on Donnor and Blitzen…"

He received no flash of recognition from the other two.

"Well," Peter said. "It'd have been funny if you two weren't the purest Purebloods. Remus would've laughed."

"Explain the joke to us," James said.

"I can't," Peter said. He blew into his cupped hands and rubbed them together. "It would require a Muggle film or a Christmas carol."

"Explain it to us next December then," James said. "Blimey, why did we decide to try this for the first time in February?"

"We're celebrating Valentine's Day in style," Sirius said. "You know, going stag."

Peter giggled.

"I'm blessed to have such hilarious friends—truly," James said. "I know we wanted to try this out as soon as we were ready, but by God why couldn't we have finally had successful Animagus transformations in March."

"Or sped it up and succeeded last August," Sirius said.

"Mmm, no. That makes the timeline unrealistic," James said. He regretted the fact that they'd left their wands in the dormitories, just to make sure they weren't damaged if things went wrong. It would be nice to build a fire or cast some sort of a warming charm.

"Is Remus this cold when he transforms on his own but stays on the floor and nobody covers him up?" Sirius asked again.

"I guess," Peter said. "I mean… there's nothing he can do until he wakes up and there's nobody else."

"Except for us," Sirius said with a fierce determination and a hint of that legendary Black family pride.

"Yeah," James agreed. "Now there's us."

They sat on the floor, shivering for a moment.

"You know," Sirius said hesitantly. "I didn't feel the cold quite this badly when we were… you know…"

"Cuddly?" Peter filled in.

The three of them examined each other and then the room around them.

"Well, it's not like there's not enough room for everyone," James said. They'd done it with a giant werewolf in their midst hours ago.

"I mean, look at it this way," Sirius said. "If we're all warmer, we can help keep Remus warm."

"Yeah."

"Of course."

"Naturally."

"Splendid," James said. He rubbed his hands together one last time. "Right, so… you go first, Sirius."

"No, no," Sirius said. "After you."

"It was your idea, I insist," James said.

"Stop being so shy about it," Peter said. "We'll be transforming for the rest of our lives, anyways. I mean… there's no going back now that we can do this, right? This is forever."

James nodded. "We're forever."

Sirius nodded. He seemed uncomfortable with the idea of _forever _for a moment, but then he smiled.

"Well, good talk, everyone," he said before shrinking down into the black dog's shaggy form and dropping down on four paws. Padfoot happily panted before trotting over to join Remus, huddling against their sleeping friend. In his sleep, Remus reached out and swung an arm over the warm black dog. He didn't otherwise stir.

Soon, the familiar dusty grey rat scurried across the floor and curled up on Remus' hip, where the creases in his piles of blankets happened to make a nest.

James smiled at the sight of the three of them huddling for warmth and Padfoot growled.

He bit back his laughter to avoid disturbing Remus' sleep and then willed his body to take on its stag form. His hooves felt odd and unsteady against the creaking floorboards of the Shrieking Shack, but James trodded over and lay down against Remus' back, so their friend was well-surrounded and warm.

Because this; well, this was forever.

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**Stacked with: **MC4A; Winter Bingo; Shipping Wars; Hogwarts

**Individual Challenge(s): **Gryffindor MC (x4); Marauders Tales; Bow Before the Blacks; Creature People; Winter Wonderland; Seeds; Minerva's Migraine; Old Shoes; Themes & Things A (Friendship); Themes & Things B (Protection); Themes & Things C (Blankets); Themes & Things D (Sweater/Jumper); Themes & Things F (Cold); Ethnic & Present; Neurodivergent; True Colours; In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux

**Word Count: **911


End file.
